All posts tagged environment

Last month PLAN leaders from across the state traveled with People’s Action to Washington D.C. to take part in a day of action in support of the Clean Power Plan (CPP). The CPP is currently on hold after a legal challenge filed by 24 state Attorney Generals, and with support from some of the worst corporate polluters on the planet. The CPP is a monumentally important first step toward inching back from the brink of climate catastrophe – an issue that means life or death for vulnerable, low-income communities and communities of color.

Below, PLAN leader, Sierra Norton Jickling reflects on on the day of action and why she thinks protest and direct action is important.

We loaded into buses early in the morning to head to the D.C. District Court House, where our rally in support of the Clean Power Plan was to take place. We started off the morning with a series of speakers, punctuated by rounds of chanting and cheering. Each of the speakers brought a unique voice, face, and perspective to the environmental movement. Some were angry, some were scared, and some were downright upset–but every speaker contributed to the sense of passion, urgency, and importance that was in the air that morning. Not many of the people passing by stopped to listen to what we had to say, and just a few slowed down to look.

Sometimes though, it is just as important to remind ourselves about why we commit as activists to a certain cause, as it is to educate others about that cause. Although we did not draw a crowd of non-informed strangers, we did bring a deeper sense of purpose and unity to our group of People’s Action folks.

PLAN staff, Ellen Moore, calls out the National Mining Association and the Nevada Mining Association for blocking the CPP. (Photo: Rae Breaux)

After finishing up our scheduled speakers in front of the Court, we quickly made our way down the street to the National Mining Association (NMA), one of the groups that signed on to the lawsuit against the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. There we entered the lobby and occupied the lobby there for about thirty minutes, chanting and having another series of speakers. After we had made our presence known, loud and proud, we left a letter of grievances with those at the front desk, and we exited peacefully. The security guards, while displeased, did not attempt any force with our group.

Immediately after our visit to the NMA, we moved again by bus to another part of town to the National Association of Manufacturing’s building. Once again, we entered their lobby and held space with speakers and chants, and a small yet decent sized group of individuals in suits were temporarily prevented from entering the building.

The downside of holding space in a lobby, which was the case in the last two direct actions of the day, is that the individuals that must confront the protesters most directly are likely the individuals in the building that have the least to do with the matter that the protesters are demonstrating against. In our case, those that seemed to be most dismayed or inconvenienced by our action were the security guards and front desk employees of both the NMA and the Association of Manufacturing.

Our real anger and grievances are directed at those that sit in the big private offices and make the decisions to spend millions of dollars against sustainable policies and environmental protection, but due to their socio-economic status and career, they are exceedingly unlikely to have to make contact with lobby protesters. That being said, it is worth noting that any protesting presence, no matter how small, at least contributes to any conversation around the issue that is protested. I believe this to certainly be true about the actions we held that day.

PLAN leaders on their way to meet with their elected representatives.

Following the direct action, we had some quieter time to spend making office visits to our representatives. For our Nevada group, we had a scheduled visit with Rep. Dina Titus (D) and a drop off of literature with Rep. Cresent Hardy (R). The drop off was brief, and we made our way to Rep. Titus’s office to meet with her office aide There we discussed the various bills that we wanted Rep. Titus to co-sign or vote in favor of–mostly, our conversation revolved around water, energy, and infrastructure. While the office visit could not have been insanely thorough due to the limited time we had, we hit on the most important topics and made our wishes known. I have never had the experience of visiting a representative of Congress before, so the opportunity was, for me, very eye-opening.

SHARE

Growing concerns over the medium and long term impacts of open-pit gold mining on Nevada’s water were validated earlier this month when Dr. Tom Myers presented his third report on the effects of mine dewatering and pit lake formation on Humboldt River flows. PLAN traveled to Elko and Lovelock to share the findings of the most recent study with residents and impacted farmers. Read local news report from the meetings in the Elko Daily Free Press and Lovelock Review-Miner.

Read Dr. Myers’ full report and presentation on what happens to ground water after mining ends and the pit lake fills with water, or check out our summary below.

Open-pit gold mining impacts our water –
even after production, profits and jobs are gone

While the mine is in operation:

Over the course of a decade, companies carrying out open pit mining drain the aquifer of groundwater that took hundreds or thousands of years to accumulate. This quick suck significantly lowers the water table.

Mining companies claim they put more than half of the water back into the basin, but this is not the same as leaving water underground, in storage. Dewatering forces us to use the water now, instead of planning for the future.

FACT: Since 1991, 3.9 million acre feet of water was pumped from open pits in the Humboldt River Basin. One acre foot, or 326,000 gallons, is enough water for a family of four for one year. That means mines have pumped enough water to support 3.9 million Nevada families.

Immediately after mining ends:

Water pumping ends and the giant pits begin to fill up with ground water. This causes a slow suck of the water table over the course of decades. The slow suck results in a decrease in the water table and less water in the river. Increased flows while a mine is in production is due to water being pumped from the pit and discharged to the river.

Data from Newmont’s Lone Tree pit lake shows significant water loss in the Humboldt river since the company stopped dewatering the mine in 2007.

FACT: Since 2007, the water being wasted to fill up the Lone Tree pit could have supplied nearly 9,000 families for 20 years (176,00 af between 2007 – 2016).

For the foreseeable future:

A pit lake lasts forever, so that means water lost to evaporation off the pit lake will also be eternal.

10,000 acre feet a year are lost to evaporation – the mining industry might say this number is insignificant, but we believe mining companies should not be allowed to waste any water, no matter the amount.

FACT: In 18 years, we will have lost 180,000 acre feet of water to evaporation – the same amount Las Vegas wants to pump from Northern Nevada.

Now consider the medium to long-term impact of dozens of open pit mines scattered across the state. Is open-pit gold mining the most sustainable and responsible use of our precious water?

Recommendations to protect our future:

Require that pit lakes are reclaimed for post-mining beneficial use.

Demand enforceable water quality regulations on pit lake water.

Require the mining industry apply for water rights on evaporative losses from pit lakes.

Reform “temporary” water permits for mine dewatering to require companies to regularly justify water use as compared to other demands. Currently, these “temporary” permits for mining are valid for decades, but are not even calculated in overall water allocations.

SHARE

PLAN recently sponsored a Water over Gold essay contest in which students engaged in a conversation about the impacts of mining on our water and communities. A three-judge panel awarded top prizes to Katie Sitton from Nevada State College and Jade Utterback from West Career and Technical Academy.

Barrick Gold’s Pipeline mine as seen from the Cortez Hills mine (Photo PLAN)

“We could not be happier with the thoughtful and well-researched essays we received from all the participants and want to thank community leaders and teachers for encouraging students to get involved” said PLAN Las Vegas organizer, Erika Castro.

In their essays, students expressed their disappointment in the failure of the government to act in the best interest of regular Nevadans, instead offering tax breaks to transnational corporations. Currently, Nevada is the top gold producer in the US and one of the largest in the world all while enjoying rock bottom tax rates.

Students were also critical of mining’s impact on their communities’ water and expressed concern about the generations to come. Contest winner Jade Utterback wrote, “Nevada, possessing a warm, dry, desert climate, is already facing serious problems in terms of water accessibility due to the severe drought. We can’t risk polluting our already-limited water resources from mining gold.” Read Jade’s full essay here.

The mighty Reese River (Photo PLAN)

While the essay contest focused on the importance of water over gold, many students dug deeper to address other negative impacts from mining including erosion, ecosystem disruptions, and health hazards. They offered ways to raise awareness about irresponsible mining among their peers and community, and the need to become responsible consumers.

Nevada students showed they care about their community and its future. College student and contest winner Katie Sitton ended her essay with a question. “Most people may argue in favor of the mining industry, saying that they are great for the economy and create jobs, but is it really worth it to leave this planet in declining conditions for our future generations?”Read Katie’s full essay here.

Here at PLAN we echo essay judge and former Senator Sheila Leslie who stated, “I enjoyed reading the student essays about the impact mining has on Nevada’s lands and people. These students already understand that our future depends on doing a better job protecting our natural resources and balancing the need for jobs with the negative and sometimes hidden costs of mining in our state.”

SHARE

Hundreds of people rallied yesterday to demand an end to the leasing of Nevada’s public lands for oil and gas. Armed with hand-made flags, banners, a 12 foot mock oil rig, and a human oil spill, we used the power of our voices and the strength of our bodies to protect our ground water, communities and wildlife from dirty extraction.We called for a just transition to renewable energy – not 450 billion tons of potential carbon pollution. Our protest disrupted the sale and sent a clear message that we will not sit back and allow our land and water to be destroyed. Read the press release here.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) held the lease auction – a public hearing – on private property. As a result, Siena Hotel management was allowed to keep us out, something they wouldn’t have been able to do if the hearing were at a public venue. When the hundreds of concerned citizens tried to enter the Siena, PLAN state director was abruptly taken down by hotel security guards using excessive force, causing minor injuries to his knee, jaw, chin, and ribs. A student was also tackled by hotel security and arrested as he tried to enter the auction room. Both were charged with trespassing.

The BLM used taxpayer funds to pay a private hotel to bar the people from an auction of public lands and public resources. A leader asked police why private corporate rights trumped the right of the people to access a public meeting. He couldn’t answer. The public still doesn’t know where the BLM auction took place as the room where it was scheduled to occur was empty. What we do know is that the BLM and their industry buddies conduct their climate-killing business in secret.

Prior to yesterday, we focused our ire on the fossil fuel industry, but now it’s clear the BLM is in cahoots with the fossil fuel industry to ensure fracking and other dirty fossil fuel extraction continues unimpeded from public participation or transparency. And while the BLM still managed to give away 3,764 acres of our land to the fossil fuel industry, we will not back down!

The threat to our planet is real and the fight for climate justice must continue. Thanks for standing with us. We’ll see you on July 29th at the Governors’s energy committee hearing in Carson City, and at the next BLM lease auction in Reno, December 13th!

SHARE

In May PLAN and Great Basin Resource Watch traveled to central Nevada to visit lands slated for auction at the upcoming Bureau of Land Management oil and gas auction on June 14th.

View of Big Smoky Valley (Photo PLAN)

The 42 parcels on the auction block cover over 74,000 acres in the majestic Big Smokey Valley. The land was nominated for the BLM lease sale by a Texas real estate developer without the knowledge of most of the residents living and farming near the potential fracking sites.

Reese River Valley (Photo PLAN)

Fracking is environmentally risky and has the potential to contaminate drinking water. In Nevada, water is especially precious – it is the lifeblood of farmers and ranchers across the state.

By keeping fossil fuels in the ground we are protecting our ground water and aquifers. To avoid catastrophic warming, scientists estimate that approximately 80% of proven fossil fuel resources need to stay in the ground. Here in Nevada, serious challenges to water users and wildlife are already being felt as a result of our changing climate. For more information about official protests filed against the BLM lease sale in the Reese River and Big Smokey Valleys, click here.

Join us next week to send the message that our public lands are not for sale! Rally to Keep it in the Ground on Tuesday June 14th at 8am. Meet us at the Virginia Street Bridge in downtown Reno before we head to the BLM live auction at the Siena Hotel on South Lake Street. Click here for more information and to RSVP.

We also traveled to Crescent Valley where Barrick’s Cortez Complex is located, which includes the Pipeline and Mt. Tenabo open pit gold mines.

PLAN staff Ellen Moore and Erika Castro, and Great Basin Resource Watch director, John Hadder get a birds eye view of the Cortez Complex. (Photo PLAN)

Destruction to the Mt. Tenabo Western Shoshone spiritual and cultural region has proceeded at an alarming rate, although not unexpected rate. Barrick reported nearly 500 million dollars in net proceeds from the Cortez Complex in 2014.

Dr. Myers will also present the report in Elko on June 8th from 4:30 – 6:30 pm at Great Basin College, Room GMCML 219, and in Lovelock on June 9th from 12:00 – 2:00 pm at the Pershing County Community Center. The 2015 and 2016 report was commissioned by the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada.

SHARE

On Thursday, April 21, PLAN and the Comstock Residents Association (CRA) held a press conference in front of the Nevada Mining Association to denounce Kappes, Cassiday & Associates (KCA) illegal operations at its Progreso VII Derivada gold mine in Guatemala. KCA’s exploitation license was suspended by Guatemalan Courts in July and November 2015 and the Ministry of Energy and Mines in March 2016, but mining continues. Read the press release here.

PLAN also visited KCA’s office to personally deliver the Court rulings and the Ministry of Energy and Mines order to suspend exploitation activities.

President and founder, Daniel Kappes was not in, and unfortunatly his staff refused to receive our letter requesting he clarify the state of operations in Guatemala and respect the rule of law. Mr. Kappes did provide a statement to the Reno Gazette-Journal claiming that the mine was both operating legally and suspended due to lack of consultation with impacted communities.

Members of the peaceful opposition who have camped outside the mine entrance in protest for four years report that clandestine operations – clearly not those of a legally operating mine – continue.

Daniel Kappes, is also on the board of directors for Comstock Mining Inc. Comstock operates the highly controversial open pit mine near Gold Hill and Silver City and is a member of the Nevada Mining Association. PLAN and CRA also delivered a letter to the Nevada Mining Association calling on it to do the right thing and demand Kappes to respect the law and suspend operations in Guatemala.

SHARE

On March 29th, Governor Sandoval approved the EPA’s request to list the Anaconda copper mine as a Superfund National Priority. This designation, more than 10 years in the making, means federal funds will be available for long-term, integrated clean up of the toxic site located near Yerington.

PLAN applauds the Governor for taking this important step and reiterates our demand that he and other elected representatives take concrete steps to hold mining corporations accountable for the contamination and abuse of Nevada’s groundwater in other parts of the state.

SHARE

This morning our state director sent the following message to our activists. Take a look, and take action to stop fracking in our state!

Dear Activist,

Our friends at the Western Organization of Resource Councils just sent this compelling alert on how you can influence new Bureau of Land Management policies on fracking on federal lands. I’ve pasted it below and encourage you to submit comments today!

Since our state has not acted to protect Nevada from the dangers of fracking, we must demand federal regulators step in before our fragile lands and precious waters are completely plundered.

Thanks!

Bob

Begin forwarded message:

Dear Bob,

This is our last week to tell the Obama Administration that its rules for fracking federal oil and gas wells don’t do enough to protect clean air and water.

Fracking pumps toxic, cancer-causing chemicals into the ground, threatening water resources. It fouls the air and can lower property values.

Last spring, the BLM first proposed new rules for fracking on federal lands – and for private lands that lie over oil and gas owned by the federal government. They were a good start but, unfortunately, the White House and BLM gave in to pressure from the oil and gas industry and proposed different rules headed in the wrong direction.

The latest requirements for public disclosure of chemicals and well safety tests are weaker, not stronger.

SHARE

About

The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada was founded in 1994 to bring together diverse and potentially competing organizations into one cohesive force for social and environmental justice in Nevada. Since 1994, our organization has grown from 12 original founding member groups to a current membership of over 30 organizations.